


Something Much Closer

by curious_kei



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, inspired by sylvain and ingrid's A support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25848316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curious_kei/pseuds/curious_kei
Summary: After Felix states that Sylvain has an interest in Ingrid, Sylvain takes it upon himself to figure out who Felix has had a crush on. The conclusion he comes to? It's him.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 83





	Something Much Closer

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of a story with the same name that I originally posted about a year ago using a different username (queen_makoto). I've decided to put it back up for various reasons (full disclosure, i'll likely take it down again if it flops), but it's been edited more and has an extended ending. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

“I commend you on taking interest in someone acceptable for once.”

With a sigh, Sylvain turned his attention away from the gorgeous woman in front of him to none other than Felix. It was a mystery when he’d even gotten there, but Sylvain had a feeling he wasn’t going to leave until they’d talked about whatever Felix wanted to tell him.

“What’s that supposed to mean, and why couldn’t it wait until I was done?” Sylvain asked after managing to expertly excuse himself from the woman he’d been chatting up.

“You like Ingrid. I must admit, I didn’t take her as your type. She’s grades above the usual floosies you waste your time with,” Felix explained with a few vague hand gestures.

In that instance, Sylvain paled, his brown eyes darting around wildly for any witnesses as he pulled awkwardly at his collar. “I-I dunno what you’re talking about.”

Felix’s lips twitched into a small, amused smile at Sylvain’s obvious discomfort. “Your bumbling is practically a confession in itself. I wonder what she’d think of this.”

Sylvain’s eyes gradually widened in horror. “Whoa, hang on there! Felix, you can’t tell her!”

To his relief, Felix just rolled his eyes and offered him a flat look. “Calm down you oaf; doing something like that would be nothing but a waste of my time. Consider your pathetic secret safe.”

“So you won’t tell her? Wait, no, that makes it— _Listen_ , I don’t like Ingrid like that, alright? It’s just—” Sylvain paused, taking a moment to try to collect his thoughts a little better than the embarrassing mess they’d turned into, “—even you have to have noticed how beautiful she looks these days.”

Felix just scoffed, the hand that’d been resting on his hip moving to cross with his other over his chest. “Other than the fact that she paints her face now like most other women do, she looks exactly the same.”

“A woman wearing makeup is a big deal, Felix! It can totally change her confidence level and her perception of herself.” Sylvain shook his head and he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I really don’t get you when it comes to girls: you never wanna go hit on any with me, you never look at or talk about them—I don’t think I’ve ever even seen you have so much as a crush!”

Any amusement that’d still been present on Felix’s face was completely gone now. “Because I don’t waste my time on such nonsense.”

“Crushes aren’t a waste and everyone has them! You have to have liked _someone_ in all these years.”

“I don’t and I haven’t.”

“No way,” Sylvain declared with a defiant shake of his head. “You must have. I refuse to believe your heart is as stony as you try to make it seem these days. Just let me think about it.” He raised his hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes in a thoughtful pose. “Let’s see, who’s someone you used to talk to or about a lot...”

“I’m not waiting around for this,” Felix sneered, turning on his heel. “I’m on my way to do something that’s actually productive.”

Sylvain let him go without a word, too lost in thought to bother coming up with a response. He was determined: the next time he saw Felix, he’d have discovered his secret crush.

“So I’ve been thinking and thinking, and I can only come to one conclusion.”

Felix stared upwards and tried to recall some breathing techniques to ease his sudden spike of agitation.

There wasn’t really any escaping this conversation this time; eating was an unfortunate necessity, and Sylvain had managed to catch him during one of his meals. The devious smile the redhead wore was almost unnerving, but Felix had experienced too much in his life to let it get to him. Besides, he was almost curious to know what idiotic conclusion Sylvain had come to.

“And that would be?” he drawled, refusing to look in the infuriating redhead’s direction.

Sylvain’s smile widened. “You’ve never had a crush on a girl.”

Surprised yet pleased by his old friend’s words, Felix offered him a faint smile. “It’s about time you’ve come to your senses.”

“But that doesn’t mean you’ve never had a crush,” Sylvain continued smugly, as if he couldn’t be satisfied with Felix _not_ wanting to strangle him for once. “Because the person you had a crush on was _me_.”

A displeased frown pulled on Felix’s face, doing nothing to hide his steadily rising irritation. “Real full of yourself, aren’t you? What made you come to such a ridiculous conclusion?”

“Well, there’s the way you used to always follow me around,” Sylvain started idly, raising a finger as he listed off his reasoning, “how you always came to me with your troubles, how you were always trying to be around me in general. You were always so cute with your sparkling eyes and blushing cheeks. Now I know why.”

Felix’s eyes clenched shut as he shook his head, looking about on the edge of his breaking point. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. If only you put even a quarter as much effort into your training as do your faulty logic, you may actually be a half-decent fighter.”

“Oh, on the contrary; I think I know _exactly_ what I’m talking about,” Sylvain stated with a stupidly cocky grin. “The only person who’s ever managed to melt the ice prince Felix Hugo Fraldarius’s heart is _me._ It’s nothing for you to be ashamed of; the effect of my charms isn’t limited to women.”

Unable to hold back his anger any longer, Felix’s eyes snapped open to level the red head with a nasty glare. “Would you shut up already? I can’t believe I’m even humoring you by listening to this idiotic drivel.”

“You say that, but I’m sure you’d love nothing more than to listen to my ‘idiotic drivel’ all night long.” Suddenly Sylvain froze, his prior arrogance crumbling as took to waving his hands around like a fool. “Wait, um, not like _that!_ That came out wrong!”

Felix’s expression somehow darkened even more. “I’m sure it’s _exactly_ what you meant. Don’t follow me,” he ordered, swiftly stalking off in the direction of the training grounds.

“Okay, look, that may not have been what I meant, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true!” Sylvain insisted, stubbornly picking up his pace to keep up with Felix despite what he’d been told. “Just admit it, Felix, come on!”

“In your dreams,” Felix growled, not so much as turning an eye his way.

“More like in _your_ dreams, am I right?” Sylvain said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle, wincing at the sharp glare Felix finally stopped and turned to give him. “Okay, okay, maybe that was too—"

“For the sake of argument, let’s say I have dreamt such a thing,” he stated with a controlled coolness that sent a shiver down Sulvain’s spine. “Would it have ever been in my best interest to reveal it? Would anything meaningful have come of it if I did? Don’t bother answering; all your skirt chasing has always told me more more than enough.”

This time when Felix stormed off, Sylvain let him go.

“You were right.”

The seriousness present in Sylvain’s voice was enough to pique Felix’s interest. He set down the watering can he’d been using for his gardening duties in order to give the newly-arrived Sylvain his full attention.

“I was treating your crush as a joke because I kinda just thought…I mean I…The point is, I shouldn’t have done it and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made such a big deal about it in the first place.” He grimaced as he stared at the ground, forcing himself to look up and make eye contact before he continued. “And if you really did— _do_ —like me, I wouldn’t mind.”

Felix regarded him silently a few seconds before tutting and reaching down for the watering can yet again. “As I’m sure I’ve told you before, I have no time for things like romance. It’s of no concern to me what you would or wouldn’t mind.”

His breath hitched as a strong hand curled gently around his wrist still holding the watering can.

“I’m serious, Felix,” Sylvain said with a tone as solemn as his expression, his hand guiding Felix’s to rest over his heart. “If you have feelings for me, it wouldn’t be meaningless, I promise you that.”

Felix snatched his hand away as if it’d been burned and gripped the wrist tightly with his other hand. “There aren’t any feelings.”

“Felix…”

He did nothing to stop Sylvain’s careful approach or the tentative graze of his fingertips against his cheek that drew him closer still. Even as Sylvain’s eyelids eased shut and his head tilted just so, Felix let him continue to do what he wanted. His own eyes slid close as he melted into a kiss surprisingly chaste for someone so salacious, and then Sylvain’s hand moved to cradle his jaw, pulling him in the slightest bit deeper for a few more moments before drawing away with a final, lingring peck against his lips.

Felix found himself panting as if he’d just run a marathon, unable to look at Sylvain properly as he licked his lips, his cheeks burning with his fluster. They burned hotter as Sylvain’s thumb stroked just shy of his cheekbone, the rest of his fingers eventually guiding Felix’s face until he was forced to meet Sylvain’s gaze.

“Still no feelings?”

Finally coming to his senses, Felix slapped the hand away and took a few uncoordinated steps backwards, almost tripping into the garden behind him.

“This is a cruel joke even for you, Sylvain,” he sneered, his gaze unwavering as he glared up at his friend. Sylvain just frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What if I said I was the one with the feelings?”

“Then I’d call you a jester _and_ liar.”

Sylvain grimaced and raised a hand to rub slowly around the curve of his neck. “Direct as always. But I’m not lying, Felix, and I’m not joking either. You’re not the only one who has trouble confessing things sometimes.”

Taking Felix’s silent reply as a sign of compliance, he continued.

“I know I’m not always the most dependable person, but I wanna become someone at least _you_ can depend on. I know it’s asking a lot, but take a leap of faith by taking a chance on me. I promise I’ll do everything I can to be better.”

“…I can see why so many women get swept up in your words, you silver-tongued bastard. If it means you’ll stop all your philandering, I suppose I can give it a try.”

Felix’s cheeks burned hot yet again as he was suddenly tugged flush against Sylvain’s chest by the waist.

“Is that the only reason? I guess I need to work harder, effective immediately,” he leaned down to croon next to Felix’s ear, neither of them commenting on the noticeable tremor that shook Felix’s body.

“L-Later,” Felix amended with an awkward cough, prying himself from Sylvain’s body and scampering over to pick up the forgotten watering can. “Work harder later. I have things to do right now, so go find something else to do.”

Unsurprisingly, Sylvain didn’t leave, instead hovering around Felix to offer lively chatter and occasional assistance.

And maybe the nonsense about listening to Sylvain all night wasn’t something from Felix’s dreams, but this? This was certainly something much closer.


End file.
